What inspires your work in these complicated times?

These are times that I can describe as interesting by taking a step back to reflect on them. They seem without perspective, loaded with anguish and many uncertainties  and they force us to stay indoors which inevitably creates chaos. This chaos inspires me and I find plenty of potential in exploring it. 

Do you believe online can become an art space or is it already?

It seems to me that the online channels are exponentially used already, but for me it is just a way to move information around. What I seek through my paintings cannot be fully experienced by looking at a digital picture. The relationship created between the onlooker and the painting cannot be made real in a virtual space – but maybe through a movie script which can be further explored. 

How would you describe your creative technique?

My technique is very simple, it is based on an idea or a concept that finds me and I let myself be inspired by it. I let it take me on a journey in which I get to experience states of mind that I paint. For me, painting is a game. I do not control anything in the process, I let myself flow on its wave.

My only rule is to remain connected to my studio and update myself with its vibe everyday

Francisc Chiuariu

Name a few of your heights in art, such as…

1. longest/shortest it took to create a painting:

The longest process took 2 years for a work of art and the shortest just a few hours. 

2. most difficult creation and why it was difficult

The most difficult work was Plaza Del Mayo, the painting for which I worked around 2 years and, finally, I destroyed it. I still have the intermediate steps (sketches) that I took to get to the end of it. The places that I choose to bring on my canvas have a certain significance and this place in particular has a special complexity that apparently couldn’t be brought in just one single painting. The light in that place fascinated me as well as its history. But these two symbols – light and loss – didn’t reach a state that I was content with. 

3. best moment in your life as an artist

The best moment in my career was the one when I realised that I no longer want to create under a framework and started working with a sense of freedom.

How do you maintain your attention to detail when working with large scale paintings?

I never take out the detail from the whole picture, I generally work with the grand ensemble. I don’t settle in stages. If I don’t like the final result, I destroy it and start again. 

• 

• 

• 

Are there rules you believe in when creating your pieces?

The only rule that seems to stick after many years is not to lose my connection with my studio. I need to be there every day and update myself with the vibe of that place. The rest of the rules are behind me. And it took a while to set myself free from them. 

Do you consider yourself and your creations revolutionary? What makes them so?

I don’t know if I am revolutionary, this is something only time can confirm – if I have or have not been. I try my best to create honest art and when I do and if it reaches the place where it should be – I am happy.

Was there a pivotal moment in your life that decided your direction as an artist?

I come from a village, a place where my father dreamt of me becoming a tractor driver. At school, I had a Romanian language teacher that saw potential in me as a painter and advised my father to take me to the art school. For me that was the moment when my direction was decided. 

If you could work in the style of a past art moment, what would it be? Or would you rather create a new movement?

I cannot get close to an art movement and feel comfortable or, better said, feel free. I am an experimentalist, I like exploring new territories, but I am not interested in creating movements. 

What visual references or artists inspire you?   

There are many artists that inspire me, I find something genius in each and every one. But if I had to choose it would be Bill Viola.